- Pakistan beat Afghanistan by one wicket to set up the Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka.
- Naseem Shah hit two late sixes off Fazalhaq Farooqi to win with four balls remaining.
Naseem Shah blasted two last-over sixes as Pakistan beat Afghanistan by one wicket on Wednesday to set up an Asia Cup final against Sri Lanka, knocking out rivals India in the process.
Pakistan was in grave trouble at 118-9, chasing 130, when number 10 Naseem muscled two hits over the fence off Fazalhaq Farooqi to win with four balls to spare in Sharjah, effectively ending India and Afghanistan’s chances of reaching the final.
Farooqi, who had figures of 3-19 from his first three overs, saw two full tosses at the start of the final over blasted over long-off, giving the Afghans the advantage.
Fareed Ahmad struck twice in the 19th over, dismissing the big-hitting Asif Ali, who then aggressively brandished his bat at the bowler while the umpire calmed him down.
Pakistan fast bowler Haris Rauf led an impressive attack that restricted Afghanistan to 129-6 after Pakistan opted to field first.
Farooqi trapped Afghanistan’s skipper Babar Azam lbw for a first-ball duck, giving the team instant hope of defending the low total.
Babar’s form has dipped recently, with scores of 10, nine, and 14 in his previous three outings.
Pakistan suffered further setback when Fakhar Zaman was run out, leaving the team down 18-2.
Mohammad Rizwan, the tournament’s leading run-scorer and the world’s number one T20I batsman after replacing his captain on Wednesday, attempted to rebuild the innings with Iftikhar Ahmed.
Rashid Khan broke through by lbw trapping Rizwan for 20, and the batsman trudged back to the pavilion following an unsuccessful review.
Shadab, the vice-captain, was sent in ahead of Khushdil Shah, and he delivered by taking on Nabi’s off-spin with a six and four to relieve the pressure.
Rashid scored 35 points against a struggling Shadab who was most likely cramping.
Naseem, though, had the last laugh on a place where former Pakistan batsman Javed Miandad smacked a last-ball six against India in the 1986 Austral-Asian Cup final.
In a dead rubber on Thursday, India will face Afghanistan in Dubai, while Pakistan will face Sri Lanka on Friday in a preview of the final on Sunday.
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